GCSE choices: non-science options

[Skintcapitalist]

DS is already having to narrow down choices and he’s in year 8 (independent school). Not worried about him passing but want him to do as well as he can to give to him options for A level/uni. School will expect all 8/9s. I also want him to follow his interests which seem to be humanities-based.

School forces them to do all 3 sciences so that limits his options. He will not find science easy yet I have read that taking both History and Geography can be a massive workload.

Is this true? He loves the human side of geography but has less interest in the eco-science bit. How much of GCSE course work focuses on the latter?

He’s been taking French and Latin but now has the choice to drop the latter and take Spanish or German instead. He does like Latin but isn’t top of the class.

He is numerate, good but not amazing at maths.

No interest in coding. Not good at things such as art or DT.

Very good at sport. How hard is it to get a 9 at GCSE PE?

Good at public speaking - again how hard is Drama for GCSe?

How hard is it to get a high grade GCSE in MFLs if you’re non-native?

How hard is a 9 in Latin given most pupils who take it will be at private school?

He is very analytical and good at essay writing/arguing. His passions are Cold War history, politics and economics.

If ive read your message correctly, he us considering:
History, Geography, PE, drama, french/latin/german/Spanish. Maybe 2 languages?

How many options does he have left?

Personally, id say GCSE PE is quite biology based. So if he is already thinking too much science, maybe put this fairly low on his list.

There is no coursework in GCSE Geography. My son does half human, half physical Geography.

Nothing wrong with History and Geog imo.

Languages: don't need to be a native speaker at gcse level. 2 languages.... I'll leave this for someone else to comment on. It would be my worst nightmare!!!

Drama is dependant on group work. Although this could be less problematic at an independent school.

HTH

I hate to break it to you but picking subjects because you think they'll be easier to get a 9 in is ridiculous.

Let him pick what he's most interested in.

Getting all 8s and 9s is a huge amount of pressure. Back off.

I can’t answer all your questions but for MFL - it’s totally possible for an able student who is not a native speaker to gain a grade 9. They will need to work obviously but that’s true for most GCSEs unless you are a maths whizz for example.

GCSE PE the same, perfectly possible to get a 9 if you work hard. Being good at sport and doing at least one outside school helps.

There’s no way of knowing what GCSEs will be hard or easy to get a high grade in tbh; one kid’s easy maths is another’s nightmare. All are challenging. How many does he do? Mine took 10 and it was a lot of exams in year 11 May-June.

Overall he should take options he enjoys as these will bring the best results. Don’t pressure him tho; at no point in their life does anyone need all grade 9s at GCSE.

Sorry I didn’t express myself clearly in the OP @TimeForSprings . He has six he has to take: English, 3 sciences, Maths, French. Just wondered about a good mix of others. I understand History and Geography are both very content heavy.

It’s not just me @Techno56 … It is his peer group and school. Not doing it overtly but the unspoken expectation is you get mainly 8/9s, maybe 7.

I’m just trying to work out good subjects he will find interesting and not too stressful on top of some already burdensome ones…

I guess he needs to say which subjects will be interesting tho!

English will be two GCSEs so that’s seven compulsories; he will probably take two or three others. Let him choose what he enjoys.

Pretty sure coursework has been largely abolished so not relevant for the geography choice. It’s a real pity they’re forcing them to do 3 sciences - are you insistent on staying there, it doesn’t seem like a good fit, especially as you are paying for the privilege.

I infer @Skintcapitalist means the work involved on the course – what is the weighting of it. I don’t know about geog tho so cannot help there.

Most schools insist on three sciences tbh tho often as two GCSEs - double award. But all three are studied.

He sounds similar to my DD who is doing history, French, art (not that one) and triple science. Triple science isn't a lot harder than combined and looks much better so stick with that. Her GCSE covers cold war and Weimar Germany but you would need to check the syllabus. Geography is easier than history at GCSE for sure but I think he could cope with both especially if history is a natural interest.

He should go for the ones he is most interested in. A subject you are less interested in will always feel like a bigger workload than one you are not interested in, irrespective of any objective measure (which I doubt there actually is).

There is a massive issue in Education with schools, parents and kids (influenced by schools and parents) chasing grades. It can mean that interest, enthusiasm, and engagement are dismissed. Those are the most important thing (and often have a relationship to aptitude but not necessarily as strong as some might hope). Teaching kids to follow their interests, curiosity and enthusiasm is much more likely to lead to success (and happiness) than grade chasing. So many schools are focusing on the latter, very sadly.

Surely your DC knows what subjects he finds interesting and which he doesn't? Thinks some of the GCSE syllabuses sound better than others?

Just let him do the subjects he wants. If he enjoys it, he's more likely to do better. It sounds like history and PE should be automatic choices. There are no bad choices for the final option.

And dial back your expectations that he must get 8/9s. Yes, I know you say it's school and peer group as well, but I'm going to guess you chose this school because they expect children to get 8/9s, so actually that was indirectly you as well.

I’m very pro him following his interests! Just want to know which non-science ones out of the ones above are seen as tricky eg I’ve heard high grades in MFL can be difficult. History is a slam dunk but wasn’t sure about Geography l. Maybe religion and philosophy too. I am curious about Latin. Does anyone know how hard this becomes?
His school actually tries hard not to push children too much as many of the parents are probably overly pushy. If it was up to me, he would drop any subject he didn’t enjoy! I just don’t want him to be eased out of the school if he wishes to continue there for A levels.

I've heard it's hard to get high grades in Drama but no firsthand experience. MFL, especially if at private school and a subject he enjoys, really not that hard, especially if you have the means to travel there for a holiday. Likewise Geog. I would encourage him to do Geog and History.

Ask your school's academic head for a full breakdown of previous GCSE results by subject. Number of kids sitting, and numbers achieving each level of grade. They will be significantly different to the national averages, particularly at an independent. I've just been through the process and we found this information invaluable.

If he likes history then Latin is a good option. Depending on syllabus then there is a non language component e.g Roman City Life. Grade 8/9 definitely possible. Geography is 50/50 split between Physical and Human with fieldwork which they are tested on in the exam. Again check the syllabus offered by your school. Also, check whether the school does iGCSE for history or geography as I think that may have a coursework component.

Thanks for all the tips - so useful for someone who wasn’t educated here. He needs to redeem himself in the eyes of the geography head. He gets great test results but she doesn’t like him!

Thanks @MMLJHoldTheHorse. Did seeing the breakdown change your mind on anything or were there some surprises?

Hi. It helped confirm a couple of choices. Latin because of the small class size and the excellent results achieved. PE was a bit of a surprise in that the results were quite varied... I think it's difficult to excel in. History and Geography were fairly evenly split in terms of numbers of students, and both had large numbers in the 8s and 9s. Religious studies was very high too and provides a good base for philosophy and any other essay style subjects. The school does 9 subjects and an HPQ (half GCSE), with Additional Maths available on invitation. In reality, there aren't many options once the compulsory subjects are accounted for. If all three sciences are taken, then just two optional subjects. We opted for 2 sciences (not double science) in order to get an extra optional subject in. It seems clear that good grades matter more than the subjects taken and that doing what they enjoy will help achieve them. Unless, of course, the kids have a career in mind that requires a specific pathway (medicine etc).
Do check with your school though as the results will be impacted by the quality of teaching in each department. It's natural there will be some variance.

Thank you so much @MMLJHoldTheHorse ; that’s really useful. I now wonder how you grill the teachers or Head to find out who their best teachers are! I fear looking at grades at our school wouldn’t give the full picture of the strength of individual teachers as it’s a selective boys school, plenty of medics’ sons who are perhaps predisposed to the sciences. This would suit us fine as it would leave more attention for our son in the humanities!

I think with PE GCSE you need to be aware that it’s a subject that will be popular with a range of abilities so grades maybe lower. DS was the most able in his PE A level class but by no means the most able in his other A levels. Same for GCSE to some extent. So it's not as simple as "grades were varied, it’s hard to get a high grade". Any more than with (for example) FM A level, "high % get a top grade, so it must be easy." – no, it’s just that it is only take by very keen mathematicians, who are more likely to gain a top grade.
If your DS is keen on PE @Skintcapitalist and plays a sport outside school then I am sure he can do as well at that as any subject.